Universities launch partnership to help Burma

Nine top US universities and colleges have formed an academic partnership to help Burma rebuild its higher education capacity, it was announced last week in the wake of a historic visit to the country by US President Barack Obama, writes Lalit K Jha for The Irrawaddy.

Under an initiative launched by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the nine academic institutions will develop institutional partnerships with universities in Burma as part of the IIE’s International Academic Partnership Programme. The participating US institutions are the American University, Arizona State University, Ball State University, Hawaii Pacific University, Northern Illinois University, Northern Arizona University, Samford University, University of Massachusetts and University of Washington.

According to the latest annual Open Doors report on International Educational Exchange from the IIE, 796 Burmese students studied in the US in the academic year 2010-11, a 14.5% increase from the previous year. Fewer than 100 US students studied in Burma in 2009-10, but this is expected to increase as the country continues to open up to the world, it said.
Full report on The Irrawaddy site